


The Daughter of an Accidental Jester

by sushilushy



Series: Fire Emblem Fates [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: A support conversation, F/M, jakob is the best butler, still not strictly romance, the beginnings of friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 21:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16648541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushilushy/pseuds/sushilushy
Summary: Kamui has been sneaking off in the morning to practice archery, and Jakob decides he's had enough of that-- she isn't allowed to be independent, at least, not without his assistance!Takumi does his best to apologize. It looks as if he and Kamui will finally put their differences aside and become friends. They have their A-rank support conversation.Sequel to "The First Archery Lesson" from the same series. \o/ Eventual Takukamu, but honestly we aren't even at to the borders of Romanceland. Also, I love writing about the characters' relationships with other people.





	The Daughter of an Accidental Jester

**Author's Note:**

> Happy NaNoWriMo!
> 
> Orochi describes Lady Mikoto as a kind woman who was both a wise sage and an accidental jester. I like to imagine that Kamui would have inherited some of these traits, though not to the same extreme degree as her mother. As always, this contains an embellishment of Kamui/Takumi's A rank support. 
> 
> Oh, also: in my headcanon 'Corrin' is Kamui's westernized name that King Garon bestowed upon her. It's just another method he used to erase her sense of Hoshidan identity. So to Nohrians she's known as Corrin, and to Hoshidans she's Kamui. I like to think that she refers to herself as Kamui because it was her original name. Either way, she responds to both names. I apologize if that gets a little confusing when Jakob is interacting with her.

Jakob set down a steaming teacup on the nightstand next to his sleeping mistress, then briskly made his way to the balcony and tore the curtains open. Sunlight spilled through the balcony windows, landing directly on Kamui's face.

She groaned and turned over in her bed.

"Milady, wake up."

"Nnnngh…."

"Milady, if you do not wake up soon, your butler is going to arrive. I thought you wanted to be more independent."

Kamui opened her eyes and sat up. "You're right. I need to keep up my…Jakob?!"

Jakob smiled sweetly. "Good morning, Lady Corrin."

"Urgh!" Kamui shot back down and dragged her covers over her face.

"Forgive my saying this, but as a butler, there is no way I would not notice my mistress hurrying off in the early morning and denying my care," he said. He tore the coverlet away so that the sunlight could assault Kamui's eyes, but compensated by smoothly propping her up with pillows. 

"I just…" Kamui tiredly reached for the teacup. "…can't win with you, can I?"

Jakob said nothing, but a twinge of emotion pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm sorry! I was thoughtless. I didn't mean to hurt you," Kamui explained quickly, anxious not to sound ungrateful. Jakob leaned over the nightstand to assist her. The princess emitted a strangled high-pitched sound. "Please don't take my tea away! I love your tea!"

The butler froze, astonished. His eyebrows relaxed. Jakob's lilac-colored eyes creased into crescent moons, and his usually mild smile widened. A warm, full-bodied laugh rolled up from deep within his chest. It was a pleasant sound that rarely slipped out for anyone else, though Kamui was only dimly aware of this. She laughed along with Jakob at the ridiculous voice she'd made.

"I couldn't ask for a finer butler. I know how much you despise mornings, Jakob, and I've been getting up earlier and earlier to practice archery. I thought I should try being independent so I could let you rest. But I did miss having your tea." Kamui did her best to regain some royal composure.

"That Lady Corrin would think of me so kindly--!" Jakob beamed, clutching at his chest. "However, as we've discussed previously, you are not to deny me my reason for living. Please allow me to continue assisting you, milady."

"Reason for living…? You're overreacting, Jakob…"

"It is impossible to overreact where Lady Corrin is involved."

 

* * *

 

 

Kamui stood up as straight as she possibly could, yumi in hand. She held her arm up confidently at first, then wavered between a few positions, all within five centimeters of each other. Perplexed, Kamui tried to recall the exact science of aiming Takumi had taught her. It was no good. As the days passed, her technique worsened in spite of daily practice. There was just no way of knowing whether Kamui's firing stance was correct if she couldn't test it out. Kamui's left knee bent at varying degrees, and the girl bobbed up and down like a child's bath toy. Finally satisfied with her positioning, the princess glanced at her injured right hand. It didn't hurt half as much as it used to; in fact, it didn't hurt at all unless touched. Because resources were scarce, healing magic was used exclusively for grave injuries. As it was, Princess Sakura could only bandage her sister's injury with such incessant (yet adorable) nervous mumbling that Kamui had begun to wonder if the question 'Does it hurt, b-big sister?' had any meaning, or if it was just a collection of sounds.

Princess Kamui fitted an arrow to her yumi, and began to pull the bowstring back. Her hand jerked suddenly, and the arrow fell limply to the ground. Kamui hissed, sucking in breath between her teeth.

"I thought it would have healed by now. It's more serious than I thought," she mused to herself, sliding the wayward arrow back into the quiver. She sat with a sigh and began to unstring the yumi. When that was done, Kamui looked at the bow's shape. "Hmm. Maybe I should have left it strung. It's looking a little flat, I think." She started restringing.

"Hey, what are you doing with that bow? I thought I told you to lay off until your hand heals!"

Takumi's sharp voice made Kamui's heart leap out of her mouth. _Good thing he didn't see me try to shoot._

"Oh, I know. I'm not practicing. I'm just polishing and adjusting the tension. I feel restless not being able to practice."

Takumi came to stand beside her and inspected her work with his arms crossed. "You're really getting into this, aren't you?"

"You know...I am! It was devastatingly hard at first, but you're a good teacher. I do hope I'm coming along fast enough and not just wasting your time," she said nervously.

"Don't worry, you're not."

Kamui raised her eyebrows. "Really? You're not just trying to cheer me up because I'm injured, are you?"

"No. You're actually really talented." Takumi shifted uncomfortably, and then bowed. "And as much as I hate to do this...I have to apologize."

 _For a prince to lower his head like this…!_ Kamui jumped to her feet. "Oh no! Please, Prince Takumi. You don't have to bow. It's really all right."

Takumi straightened his posture, and Kamui could see that he sported the slightest of smiles. It was a genuine thing that made her feel like she'd slipped through a chink in his emotional armor for the first time.  "I've seen your dedication to Hoshido with my own two eyes. So, please forgive me for doubting you in the first place. I will gladly continue your training as soon as you're ready." So this was the boy who everyone described as kind at heart, the boy Mother had been so fond of.

Kamui's expression softened. "Thank you, Takumi. I'm so glad you gave me a chance."

He adjusted his hair and looked off to the side _._ "You're welcome."

 _And we're already back to 'cool' Takumi._ Kamui allowed herself a silent laugh that was really just a barely perceptible snort of air. Takumi didn't seem to notice it; he was busy searching through a bag he carried.

He pulled out a small glass jar partly filled by a creamy green lotion. "Oh, by the way, take this. It's a salve that might help your hand heal faster."

"Great! Thanks. I've been dying to get back to work with you."

"Me too, Kamui." Takumi paused. "By the way, you're not stringing your yumi well enough. The shape looks kind of flat. Also, when stringing, you need to be aware of the hemp's condition. If you're too rough with the--"

"Okay, I know! I'm just starting, and my main hand's injured, so go easy on me," Kamui said, rubbing her temples.

"You think your _enemies_ are going to go easy on you when you're injured on the battlefield? This is important, so you'd better listen carefully and get it right! But I guess you're still a beginner, so… I'll let you rest for today." Takumi held out his hand, with his palm turned upwards.

Kamui looked at Takumi's hand, puzzled. He was expecting something. A handshake? That was the wrong angle for a handshake. Perhaps Hoshidans were not familiar with the practice, and he was trying this foreign gesture out. Anxious not to embarrass him if that was the case, Kamui lightly placed her hand on top of Takumi's, wrapped her fingers over his palm, and awkwardly shook.

Takumi stared at her blankly. Clearly, a handshake was not what he'd had in mind. Kamui abruptly withdrew her arm. She wanted to pry the floorboards loose and hide underneath them.

"Not that. Give me your yumi, I'll string it for you just this once," he said, struggling to keep amusement out of his voice.

"O-oh."

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I can get the next few chapters published soon... something out of the canon is going to happen. Something interesting...like a trip, maybe. (' w ') There are a lot of lovely interactions between Takumi, Azura, and Kamui. The romance is slow, but we'll get there eventually. For now, I'm content to write about developing friendships/relationships.
> 
> I left Jakob and Kamui's relationship a little ambiguous. He's naturally sweet to her in the game and surly to everyone else, so I always wonder if his feelings for Kamui touch upon the romantic. I think their pairing is very popular in Japan, though I think the most popular husband choices were Xander/Marx and Leo/Leon, followed by Takumi.


End file.
